Bob Plager's father, Gus, was at one time the referee-in-chief of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Growing up in an environment of law enforcement, one would expect his three sons to be law-abiding lads who played by the rules. Not so.

The Plager boys defined their game by scoring more with their fists than their sticks. At one point, Barclay, the oldest of the brothers, broke the record for the most penalty minutes in the OHA while skating for Peterborough. His record stood for two years, until his younger brother, Bob, shattered the mark while policing for the Guelph Royals.

The two brothers actually duked it out in a match one night when Barclay clipped Bob in the mouth. The two continued to fight in the penalty box and even in the corridor after they were tossed from the game.

After their days in the OHA, the battling brothers took different paths to the NHL. Bob Plager picked up a few games with the Rangers during the mid-sixties between frequent trips to the minors. But when the NHL doubled in size in 1967, the fledgling St. Louis Blues reunited the Plagers on their blueline. By then, Bob Plager was known as 200 pounds of humourous turbulence.

Over the eleven seasons that followed, he terrorized his opponents with hard hits and quick fists. But he also terrorized members of his own organization and the press with his practical jokes and humour -- known as "Plagerisms". He once stole a teammate's false teeth and mailed them back, forcing the guy to chew with his gums for three days. On another occasion, Sid Salamon III, the co-owner of the Blues, attempted revenge for an earlier prank by cutting a leg off of Plager's trousers. But Plager got the final laugh when he wore the dismembered pants to a formal occasion hosted by Salamon.

Plager retired from on-ice action in 1978 to move into the ranks of the Blues management. Over the years since then, he has performed just about every task except to drive the Zamboni although he joked that that job may come soon. He is credited with developing the process of advance scouting and he has coached the Blues as well as their minor-league affiliates. He is presently the Vice President of Player Development with the club.

REGULAR SEASON

PLAYOFFS

Season

Club

League

GP

G

A

TP

PIM

+/-

GP

G

A

TP

PIM

1958-59

Kirkland Lake Legion

NOHA

1959-60

Guelph Biltmores

OHA-Jr.

44

0

1

1

37

5

0

1

1

4

1960-61

Guelph Royals

OHA-Jr.

43

3

12

15

99

14

3

8

11

73

1961-62

Guelph Royals

OHA-Jr.

50

5

22

27

161

1961-62

Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers

EPHL

3

0

0

0

2

1962-63

Guelph Royals

OHA-Jr.

45

11

28

39

97

1962-63

Baltimore Clippers

AHL

4

0

0

0

6

2

0

0

0

10

1963-64

St. Paul Rangers

CPHL

61

13

35

48

158

8

3

6

9

21

1964-65

New York Rangers

NHL

10

0

0

0

18

1964-65

Vancouver Canucks

WHL

31

5

12

17

103

1964-65

Baltimore Clippers

AHL

19

2

12

14

27

5

0

0

0

6

1965-66

New York Rangers

NHL

18

0

5

5

22

1965-66

Minnesota Rangers

CPHL

44

7

12

19

145

1966-67

New York Rangers

NHL

1

0

0

0

0

1966-67

Baltimore Clippers

AHL

63

3

16

19

169

9

0

5

5

15

1967-68

St. Louis Blues

NHL

53

2

5

7

86

-11

18

1

2

3

69

1968-69

St. Louis Blues

NHL

32

0

7

7

43

+10

9

0

4

4

47

1968-69

Kansas City Blues

CHL

5

1

3

4

16

1969-70

St. Louis Blues

NHL

64

3

11

14

113

+2

16

0

3

3

46

1970-71

St. Louis Blues

NHL

70

1

19

20

114

+9

6

0

2

2

4

1971-72

St. Louis Blues

NHL

50

4

7

11

81

-1

11

1

4

5

5

1972-73

St. Louis Blues

NHL

77

2

31

33

107

-1

5

0

2

2

2

1973-74

St. Louis Blues

NHL

61

3

10

13

48

+9

1974-75

St. Louis Blues

NHL

73

1

14

15

53

+10

2

0

0

0

20

1975-76

St. Louis Blues

NHL

63

3

8

11

90

+17

3

0

0

0

2

1976-77

St. Louis Blues

NHL

54

1

9

10

23

-9

4

0

0

0

0

1976-77

Kansas City Blues

CHL

4

0

2

2

15

1977-78

St. Louis Blues

NHL

18

0

0

0

4

-8

1977-78

Salt Lake Golden Eagles

CHL

11

0

3

3

52

6

0

3

3

6

NHL Totals

644

20

126

146

802

74

2

17

19

195

Brother of Barclay and Bill

Traded to St. Louis by NY Rangers with Gary Sabourin, Tim Ecclestone and Gord Kannegiesser for Rod Seiling, June 6, 1967.